Malika Dudley’s Daily Weather Forecast (10/17/14)

Summary of Alerts

A Flash Flood Watch posted for the island of Hawai’i from noon today through Sunday.

A Tropical Storm Watch remains posted for the island of Hawai’i.

Today

We expect conditions to continue to gradually get worse today for the island of Hawai’i. Tropical Storm Ana is expected to bring heavy rain and thunderstorms this afternoon, potentially causing flash flooding and even rock and mudslides. Rainfall from 6 – 8 inches with locally higher amounts to 12 inches are expected in some spots especially along the southeast, south and wrapping around to the west. Beware of low-lying areas and remember that flash flooding can develop in your area even if it is not raining heavily there.

Tropical storm conditions are possible today with cloudy, breezy conditions. Winds out of the east from 15 to 25 mph, gusting to 35 mph are forecast, with the highest winds expected in areas of mountainous terrain and through valleys and passes. Tonight, we could even see winds gusting up to 50 mph in some spots. Highs range from 80 to 85 degrees.

The chance of tropical storm conditions at this time is 20 percent at South Point, 16 percent in Kailua-Kona and 8 percent in Hilo, representing a continued downward trend since the last forecast. Keep in mind, this does not mean that we will not see effects from Ana as she continues to approach.

For full ANA update, click here. 

Surf & Seas

Seas of 15 to 25 feet are expected. Surf heights up to 20 feet are possible late today along the Puna & Kau coastlines during the closest approach. Elevated surf of up to 12 feet is possible along the Kona coasts Saturday. Additional storm surge of 1 -2 feet for southeastern shores is likely. On the other side of the island, our mix of north shore swells should bring waist to shoulder high surf – possibly bigger on the sets – for best exposures through tomorrow.

Other Areas of Interest:

Sunset tonight is at 5:56 p.m.

Sunrise tomorrow is at 6:16 a.m.